Champions Trophy 2025: Hashmatullah Shahidi to lead Afghanistan in their maiden appearance at eight-team tournament

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) announced their 15-member squad for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday, with Hashmatullah Shahidi set to lead the team. The Afghanistan squad also features the likes of Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai and mystery spinner Rashid Khan. Ibrahim Zadran, in fact, is making a return to the Afghanistan squad for the first time since sustaining an ankle injury last year.

Mohammad Nabi, 40, is also part of the Afghanistan squad for the eight-team tournament. Afghanistan are in Group B, along with Australia, England and South Africa.

Afghanistan’s 2025 ICC Champions Trophy campaign

Afghanistan will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against South Africa in Karachi on 21 February, before facing England in Lahore on 26 February.

Afghanistan will then wrap up their group stage with a game against Australia on 28 February, which will also be played in Lahore. Afghanistan were quite impressive in the 2023 ODI World Cup, having finished in sixth place with eight points. The Afghans then qualified for the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they lost to eventual runners-up South Africa.

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The 2025 ICC Champions Trophy will be played in a hybrid model with matches being played in Pakistan and Dubai. India, who have refused to travel to Pakistan, will play all their matches in Dubai. The tournament will commence with a Group A match between Pakistan and New Zealand in Karachi on 19 February, and the final will be played on 9 March.

Afghanistan squad for 2025 ICC Champions Trophy: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Sediqullah Atal, Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farid Malik, Naveed Zadran.

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Reserves: Darwish Rasooli, Nangyal Kharoti, Bilal Sami.